Locking-hinge.



m I mi-Amman.

No. 872,650. PATE-NTED DEC. 3, 1907.

' F. J. GILROY.

LOCKING HINGE.

APPLICATION FILED JUN}; 15, 1907.

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FRANK J. GILROY, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

LOCKING-HINGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 3, 1907;

Application filed June 15. 1907. Serial No. 379.230.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK J. GILROY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buflalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Locking-Hinges, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to hinges, especially such as are intended for freight car doors, and its general object is to prevent unauthorized opening of such doors. In spite of the use of seals, all trunk railway lines are subjected to heavy loss through theft from cars, by employees and others. The present invention remedies this evil by roviding locking hinges that can be unlocked by a lar 'e volume of fluid rapidly delivered under high pressure, the conditions being made such that necessary fluid pressure can hardly be obtained without the use of special plants which are provided at any desired points on the line. The pressure needed for unlocking the hinge is far above that permissible in train pipes, and therefore the car is secure even against the train crew or other ordinary employees of the railway.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows my novel hinge in partly sectional elevation, the section being made by a plane, parallel to the leaves, through the pintle axis. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3, Fig. 1.

In these figures, A and B represent hinge leaves to be attached to the car and car door, respectively. These leaves are divided horizontally at A B and at such points that each segment bears one of the hinge knuckles and successive knuckles form parts of different leaves. Each knuckle C has on its lower side a boss C fitting in a corresponding recess in the next knuckle below. The upper knuckle is provided with an axial recess D and the lower one with a similarly located downwardly closed recess E which serves as a plunger cylinder. A heavy sliding pintle member F extends from the upper recess through the intermediate knuckles into the lower recess and bears at its lower end a piston or plunger G, which when forced upward raises the pintle; and in the form of hinge illustrated the pintle then proi in an aperture H then just above the knuckle. The raising of the pintle is resisted by a very strong spring I resting upon a flange onleast, of which form part of different leaves.

W'hen the pintle is in this position, obviously no opening movement whatever of the leaves is possible, but when the pintle is raised each enlargement passes into a larger recess in the lower side of the knuckle next above, where it offers no resistance to opening movement. In assembling the parts mentioned, the pintle is inserted in the upper I knuckle, the other knuckles are slipped over the pintle. When all are in place, plates K are added to each leaf and bolts L are assed through the plates, leaf segments an walls of the car or the car door and secured by nuts within the car. The outer ends of the bolts are countersunk flush with the plates so that there are no projecting heads to be cut ofl. The cylinder in which the plunger works is provided at its lower end with a lateral aperture M and a nipple N, or other" device for connecting a fluid delivering pipe.

It is to be observed that the cylinder and that the part inclosing the spring are integral with the corresponding knuckles and that neither has any aperture in position to permit tampering with the spring or raising the plunger by inserting any instrument. To avoid the possibility of raising the plunger by some small. pump delivering a very small stream of fluid under high pressure and gradually accumulating below the plunger a body of fluid, the plunger is provided with an opening 0 through which fluid may escape. It is consequently impossible to raise the plunger by pumping in fluid unless the volume delivered be materially greater than the volume, that under the pressure necessary for overcoming the resistance of the spring, can escape in the same interval of time throughthe aperture.

The pintle enlargements are usually of such form that the door may be opened 180 and then looked, so that no door can accidentally swing out from the car into position to strike a passing train.

In practice, the car being open is loaded, in New York for example, where a hinge unlocking apparatus is provided, the pintle is raised, the door is closed and the fluid injecting appliances are detached allowing the spring to force down the pintle and lock the hinge. The car cannot thereafter be opened without the use of a powerful unlocking plant such as it would be diflicult for thieves to construct, transport or use without attracting the attention of many persons. At Chicago, for example, a like unlocking apparatus is provided and upon the arrival of the car its door is unlocked and opened. Such unlocking apparatus is provided only at certain stations, and only where it can be in charge of persons known to be trustworthy.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a hinge provided with devices for locking its leaves in closed position, of means for applying fluid pressure to said devices for unlocking them.

2. The combination with a hinge provided with devices for locking its leaves in closed position, of a spring arranged for holding said devices in looking position, and means for applying fluid pressure to overcome the action of the spring.

. 3. The combination with a hinge provided with devices for locking its leaves in closed position, of means for applying fluid pressure to unlock said devices, said means being adapted to allow a part of the pressure-exerting fluid to escape while the fluid is acting upon said devices; whereby a large supply of fluid is made essential to unlocking.

4. The combination with hinge leaves, of a longitudinally sliding pintle having non-circular portions adapted to engage the knuckle of both leaves and lock them against relative rotary movement, a spring resisting unlocking movement of the pintle, and a fluid-actuated piston arranged for compelling unloek- I mg movement of the pintle, and means for applying fluid pressure to said piston.

5. The combination with two hinge leaves, of a longitudinally sliding pintle adapted to lock the hinge knuckles against opening movement, a spring resisting unlocking movement of the pintle and itself inaccessible when the hinge is assembled, a fluid actuated piston arranged for compelling unlocking movement of saidpintle and itself inaccessible when the hinge is assembled, and means for applying fluid pressure to. said piston.

6. The combination with'two hinge leaves having knuckles provided with recesses and bosses adapted to engage in said recesses and resist, independently of the pintle, relative lateral movement of the knuckles, a longitudinally sliding pintle passing through said knuckles and adapted to lock them against relative rotation when in one position and to release them when in a second position, a spring concealed in a recess in one knuckle and arranged to resist sliding of the pintle in unlocking direction, a fluid pressure cylinder in a different knuckle, a piston, in said cylinder, arranged for forcing unlocking movement of the pintle, and means for supplying actuating fluid to said cylinder.

7. In a hinge of the class described, the combination with hinge leaves provided with connecting knuckles, of a longitudinallysliding locking pintle, a spring within the body of the hinge arranged to resist unlocking movement of the pintle, a cylinder ch amber within the body of the hinge and provided with a lateral inlet port, a piston working in said chamber and arranged for compelling unlocking movement of the pintle, and means for connecting said port with a source of supply of fluid under pressure.

8. The combination with a locking hinge, of a cylinder chamber and piston arranged for unlocking the hinge, a passage for supplying said chamber with fluid under pressure, and a smaller constantly open passage for the escape of the operating fluid; whereby fluid admitted is effective only when supplied in predetermined volume. E In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK J. GILROY.

itnesses GUnnoN R. ALLYN, JAs. REED. 

